church
- Thread starter Mobuck
- Start date
OP
Daughter and SIL are planning to do some exterior repairs ASAP and interior upgrades as budget allows.
The vinyl siding is in bad shape as is apparent but local builder says he can patch and cover for short term.
BTW, the bell is still in place and I hope we can ring it soon. The steeple used to have windows around the bell but those were covered when the siding was installed.
The vinyl siding is in bad shape as is apparent but local builder says he can patch and cover for short term.
BTW, the bell is still in place and I hope we can ring it soon. The steeple used to have windows around the bell but those were covered when the siding was installed.
OP
OP
We donated about half the pews to the Baptist church as they were having to use folding chairs. Unfortunately, they were a bit careless in the removal so we are going to re-arrange the remaining pews for a better look.
contender
Ruger Guru
Great pics of your church! Looking forward to seeing your restoration work!
Interesting building and a nice spot. The fact that the bell is still there is very cool.
It seems that style of church was quite popular. I was baptized in a church very much like that. The steeple was a bit fancier (the Episcopalians were competing with the Catholics) But the exterior design and likely the interior layout is the same.
Ours has had quite a history. It's the oldest church of any denomination in town still standing. When it was replaced it was moved to our graveyard to act as the chapel. When the graveyard was filled the City took over the graveyard and the church fell into serious disrepair. Then a group took over the church and moved it to a new graveyard. The church was entirely restored.
Ours has had quite a history. It's the oldest church of any denomination in town still standing. When it was replaced it was moved to our graveyard to act as the chapel. When the graveyard was filled the City took over the graveyard and the church fell into serious disrepair. Then a group took over the church and moved it to a new graveyard. The church was entirely restored.
warren5421
Single-Sixer
Looks like a his and her's outhouse
These are really cool. When I was a kid, 1950-1963, we lived in the country and had two country churches within about 7 miles of us. We mainly went to a Christian church but occasionally to the Baptist church in the summer too. You knew everyone who went very well. I will make a comment that maybe is in poor taste and could be taken wrong but not intended, but as young guy I thought the Baptist church was more interesting and fun to go to.
OP
You're correct, it's a his/hers outhouse. The 'new addition' (seen on the back of the original structure) has indoor plumbing. We lived at the end of the gravel path that passes in front of the church (the path wasn't gravel at that time) and met the school bus at the church driveway. If it was wet, we'd leave our raincoats and mud boots in the outhouse. At present, the outhouse is not recoverable and will be replaced with a similar shaped utility building for storing a lawnmower and tools.
There's almost an acre of additional area beyond the church that needs brush removed and cleanup/reseeding.
There's almost an acre of additional area beyond the church that needs brush removed and cleanup/reseeding.
contender
Ruger Guru
Country churches like this are MUCH better than any of the HUGE ones we have in our area.
Neat building, very traditional. We have a church much like that in our local yester year village. Our local land owners assoc maintained it.it went back to the 20s I think. It served as a one room school house Mon - Fri.
Hope it getsbput to good use and theres a solid preacher for the pulpit.
Hope it getsbput to good use and theres a solid preacher for the pulpit.
GasGuzzler
Hawkeye
Looks like it's from the set of The Dukes of Hazzard.
That's what I noticed too... pretty cool.
Essentially the same in our vicinity, and we also had several rural schools built on basically the same plan.
Can't see it in the photo but on the left rear of the building is a small "facility". When the church was restored this was turned into storage. There aren't any sewer lines in that part of the cemetery.
I have a strong personal connection to the church. My parents and two aunts& an uncle were married there my siblings an 8 cousins were baptized there. And lastly two cousins were married there.
By the time my cousins were married, the church had been replaced with a huge, modern and quite ugly building.
I have a strong personal connection to the church. My parents and two aunts& an uncle were married there my siblings an 8 cousins were baptized there. And lastly two cousins were married there.
By the time my cousins were married, the church had been replaced with a huge, modern and quite ugly building.
I like the look of both of those buildings. Those are nicer but the size kind of reminds me of the small concrete block building where we had church when I was a kid. There are a couple of the old smaller church buildings left close to here. One is now used as a chapel (the current church building is much larger & across the street). The other was a Methodist church (they left when the Methodists decided gay marriage is okay). The used to be Methodist church has a cemetery with graves from the Civil War era.
One of the members there said he was cleaning up the cemetery one day when a fellow came riding through it on horseback. He tried unsuccessfully to stop the man. The man on horseback made it through but it scared the church member. Many of those old graves contain people buried in wooden caskets. Eventually the caskets rot & the graves collapse inward. He was worried the horseback ride would get hurt. The cemetery is now fenced.
One of the members there said he was cleaning up the cemetery one day when a fellow came riding through it on horseback. He tried unsuccessfully to stop the man. The man on horseback made it through but it scared the church member. Many of those old graves contain people buried in wooden caskets. Eventually the caskets rot & the graves collapse inward. He was worried the horseback ride would get hurt. The cemetery is now fenced.
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A good friend of mine has opened a Wesleyan church in an old Presbyterian church. It's in a rural community and he is making a go of it.
I attend services there occasionally because he gives a good message and is down to earth.
The church has a 7 rank pipe organ and my cousin is a professional organist. I took him to see the place and assess the condition of the organ. There was an older gentleman there when my cousin played it to check all of the functions. When he heard it played he started crying and said that it had never sounded that good.
I attend services there occasionally because he gives a good message and is down to earth.
The church has a 7 rank pipe organ and my cousin is a professional organist. I took him to see the place and assess the condition of the organ. There was an older gentleman there when my cousin played it to check all of the functions. When he heard it played he started crying and said that it had never sounded that good.
Busterswoodshop
Hunter
Are you saying Baptist are not Christians ?
I'm pretty sure that's not what he meant.... but we have a Baptist church here just west of Greenville in Easley that I call the Star Wars church,.... I might have printed or posted this before.... 40+ year ago when I first started sweeping I would drive by and there were two brick churches much like the ones pictured above... they had started with one about the size of those in the picture and had to grow to one about twice that big but kept the little one beside it... then after a few years they added another brick one beside the mid sized one and I started calling them the Papa, Momma and Baby Bear Churches.... about 15 or more years ago it seems they needed more room now they have this massive building in the shape of a flying saucer that holds about 4 or 5 thousand people...last I heard a couple years ago their membership was over 8 thousand and they needed to have two or three separate services on Sunday.
I don’t like going to the big churches. Ours here closed after it was hit by a tornado and destroyed so we have had to look for another congregation to join. I’m still skipping around the different churches and at some point we’ll find one that feels like home and settle in. When my wife was alive and we went on any kind of a road trip we would always be looking for the older churches and sometimes pull in and check out their architecture. That’s one of the memories “from way back when.”
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2012
- Messages
- 10,877
We have 2 churches in the area originally built with the same layout as yours
When one became too small they made an addition so now the building is L shaped. If you sit in the addition you look at the side of the altar.
The other one has two additions so it is T shaped!
When one became too small they made an addition so now the building is L shaped. If you sit in the addition you look at the side of the altar.
The other one has two additions so it is T shaped!
GasGuzzler
Hawkeye
I think he was referring to the denomination called "Christian" not the religion.
Here's my town. You can see in the southwestern corner the First Christian Church. It's not the first Christian church but it is at the time time. There are more Baptist churches than any because they are the most likely to split. I know because I grew up in one. There's two Methodist churches because one is in the rich, formally all white part of town and the other is in the poor, formally all black part of town. Funny there are 5-6 non-denominational churches when that used to be rare.
OP
^^^WOW, that's a lot of churches
Many years ago in my work I would have to get specific instructions of how to get to someone's house (way before GPS) and this guy said you go out of town take a right on a certain road then go a ways and turn left at the road just past the Baptist church and his house was the first on the right. I finally had to go back into town and find a pay phone and call him... this was before cell phones... yep I've been working for a while. Come to find out 'a ways' was 7 miles and it was the third Baptist church on the road......
Heavens no! There were Methodist Churches and ours was called a Christian Church, all were considered Christian I think. Anyway, the Baptist Church was more entertaining I thought. At any rate, as an adult I don't go at all, at least not for the last 60 some years anyway.
My Dad's church was a few miles from the farm. My sister was the last marriage there (around 1996). It was sold and made into a home. The original bell was moved to the new church on the outside of town. Just a symbol at this point. The cemetery is still out in the country of course and that is where my parents are. My folks had a daughter that died at 3 days old and is there next to them. Who knows, if she lived I may not have been. I was the fifth child but they could have stopped at four. They actually have a fourth spot but it really wasn't to be used. There used to be a tree there to give them shade. The tree is gone now.
Good luck on your plans and best wishes.
Good luck on your plans and best wishes.
I've been trying to find a picture of a painting of the old country church that my family went to that my wife painted for my sister. The name of the church was Union Chapel. When I find a picture of it I will post it.
This is a painting that my wife did of the little church that I went to as a kid. Sorry, part of the picture got cropped out.
PinnedAndRecessed
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2006
- Messages
- 269
All the above pictures of little white church buildings remind me of the importance the Christian church building had in America. Our woke multicultural Replacement Theory mindset has succeeded in erasing the importance The Christian Church played in developing American culture.
The Church was central to America. It was where we worshipped and, make no mistake, we were a Christian nation. Nothing hyphenated and certainly did not share any religious philosophy with anything non-Christian.
It was where weddings were performed. Funerals were conducted at the church building. Community discussions and debates were held there, as well as political gatherings.
Heck, that's even where our social activities took place. Ever heard of a "Church Social?"
It's what made America great. And Christians were behind it all.
"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers-- and it was not there... in her fertile fields and boundless forests-- and it was not there... in her rich mines and her vast world commerce-- and it was not there... in her democratic Congress and matchless Constitution-- and it was not there. Not until I
went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."
(Around 1840 by Alexis de Tocqueville, author of Democracy in America, a
book which was assigned to the entire Republican freshman class of the
104th congress.)
The Church was central to America. It was where we worshipped and, make no mistake, we were a Christian nation. Nothing hyphenated and certainly did not share any religious philosophy with anything non-Christian.
It was where weddings were performed. Funerals were conducted at the church building. Community discussions and debates were held there, as well as political gatherings.
Heck, that's even where our social activities took place. Ever heard of a "Church Social?"
It's what made America great. And Christians were behind it all.
"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers-- and it was not there... in her fertile fields and boundless forests-- and it was not there... in her rich mines and her vast world commerce-- and it was not there... in her democratic Congress and matchless Constitution-- and it was not there. Not until I
went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."
(Around 1840 by Alexis de Tocqueville, author of Democracy in America, a
book which was assigned to the entire Republican freshman class of the
104th congress.)
